What is a 5G radio interface?

5G new radio, or 5G NR, is a set of standards that replace the LTE network 4G wireless communications standard. An important goal of 5G NR is to support the growth of wireless communication by enhancing electromagnetic radiation spectrum efficiency .

5G will bring wider bandwidths by expanding the usage of spectrum resources , from sub-3 GHz used in 4G to 100 GHz and beyond. 5G can operate in both lower bands (e.g., sub-6 GHz) as well as mmWave (e.g., 24 GHz and up), which will bring extreme capacity, multi-Gbps throughput, and low latency.

The 5G spectrum is a range of radio frequencies in the sub-6 GHz range and the millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency range that is 24.25 GHz and above . The 5G spectrum refers to the radio frequencies that carry data from user equipment (UE) to cellular base stations to the data’s endpoint.

5G NR is a new air interface being developed for 5G. An air interface is the radio frequency portion of the circuit between the mobile device and the active base station . The active base station can change as the user is on the move, with each changeover known as a handoff.

5G New Radio (NR) is the global standard for a unified, more capable 5G wireless air interface . It will deliver significantly faster and more responsive mobile broadband experiences, and extend mobile technology to connect and redefine a multitude of new industries.